VIP Chapter 529: Interlude: How to Clear Death Hall (1)
What does it feel like to revive from “death”?
Consciousness had sunk into nothingness, a state devoid of even the concept of “darkness.”
But the eternally present “will to survive” had been reaching out, desperately trying to grasp something, moving forward constantly.
There had to be something that wanted you to “live,” pulling you forward.
Slowly, Shuna began to perceive the temperature of her body, then the flow of her blood, and finally, her five senses.
And then, at last… the question, “Why do I have to come out of death?”
For Shuna, perhaps it was the faded, fragmented letter from “W” in that void—
“!?”
Shuna’s eyes snapped open. She saw the shabby chandelier of her own floor and felt her heart pounding violently in her chest.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
It hammered against her ribs like a mallet striking the wooden planks of her coffin, confirming that she was, indeed, alive.
“Just… just now, was I…”
— “dead”?
She lay on her own coffin, the sword that had been plunged into her chest now removed from her healed body.
Recalling her memories from before, she remembered encountering a particularly troublesome adventuring team.
Compared to other amateur groups, this team was clearly well-prepared. They weren’t just after her; they were after Death Hall itself—though, based on her intelligence, they weren’t sent by Carver.
After all, Carver had already sent everyone he could spare to Zero Demon City.
“I died. And to such a wild adventuring team, I feel a sense of regret…”
Shuna gazed at her palm.
This was the first time she had been killed by an adventurer in Death Hall.
And it was by a purely “wild adventuring team.”
They probably just wanted to gain a lot of points by clearing Death Hall?
But her opponents were indeed well-prepared. They knew exactly how to counter her daggers, which could change forms, and their coordination was excellent. Shuna could even tell they had done their logistical work in the earlier floors they cleared…
Although Shuna didn’t know their ranking on the leaderboards, she considered them the most united and coordinated dungeon-clearing team she had ever seen.
“If I could team up with Will someday… I’d want that kind of adventuring team too.”
“However, even a team like that couldn’t ‘clear’ Death Hall, couldn’t defeat that Daisianwei.”
“!? ”
Shuna looked back. As always, Li Wei’qi appeared out of nowhere in her territory, right behind her.
“Li Wei’qi… I… I think I’ve told you, next time you visit, at least knock.”
“Mmm… I did knock. But you were dead, so you couldn’t hear anything.”
“You—!”
Knowing Li Wei’qi was the Empress from “Apex of the Galaxy” that Will always mentioned, Shuna had let down some of her “guard.”
Only some, though.
Shuna never knew her true motives. Moreover, Li Wei’qi was the one who gave other dungeons “Green Ghost Stones” to resist Death Hall’s unified rule. So why… was she hiding in Death Hall?
Of course, more importantly…
Will had met her, and that meeting was documented in the letter to Shuna.
In that letter, Will had subtly warned Shuna that Li Wei’qi might be a very dangerous person.
Shuna watched the golden-haired beauty walk towards her step by step through the rotten, moldy mire.
Today, she wasn’t wearing much. She had changed out of her military uniform due to the warmer weather into a practical short-sleeved top and a skirt that just covered her hips, revealing her shapely waist.
Essentially, a large portion of her body was exposed.
This was another reason Will considered her dangerous…
She had an extreme obsession with the deepest part of the dungeon, its ultimate end.
But…
There were no markings of a “God-Attuned” on her. No strange, circular snake-like symbol that seemed to be swallowing its own tail.
Someone who wasn’t God-Attuned, who hadn’t received the “blessing” of Reviers that maintained the operation of the dungeon and the surface world, someone without a defined endpoint…
Yet, she possessed a desire for that deepest part that surpassed even a God-Attuned. How was that possible?
“Don’t be like that. I just returned from Daisianwei’s, and I have crucial information to convey to you.”
Li Wei’qi spread her hands, leaving Shuna speechless.
Her gray eyes opened, studying Shuna with amusement.
“You’re here, aren’t you? Aren’t you trying to clear Death Hall? Or perhaps you’ve discovered that Daisianwei and the Will you love are destined for a battle to the death.”
“…”
Shuna couldn’t refute that.
“So, aren’t you curious, how exactly can Death Hall be ‘cleared’?”
“They lost?”
Shuna knew Li Wei’qi was likely here to give her “intel” about Daisianwei.
So she also wanted to extract some information from her.
“If we didn’t lose, would we still be standing here? This place is about to crumble.”
“True. So, how did they lose?”
“Hmm… they lost in a very comical way.”
“How comical? More comical than being crushed to death by a Slime?”
“Pfft…” Daisianwei chuckled. “You’re too quick to drop the act. After revealing yourself to me, you can so casually joke about stories involving your lover.”
“That’s not really anything. So, how did they lose?”
“How should I put it? Not many people have actually fought Daisianwei, you understand, right? Even with the Undead Warrior borrowed, only a handful could get past us.”
“So? They were instantly defeated by skills they’d never seen before? That is indeed a comical way to lose, but it’s too common…”
Li Wei’qi smiled.
“They lost because they ‘killed’ Daisianwei in one move.”
“!? ”
Although Shuna had also been killed in pretty much one move.
After all, this wild team was extremely well-prepared, likely having poured over vast amounts of data from other adventuring teams’ clears. They had planned the most efficient and fastest method from the very beginning.
“If they killed Daisianwei, wouldn’t that mean… they won?”
“Eh? You think so too? Especially since you’ve been in the last hundred floors of Death Hall for so long.”
“You… what do you mean?”
Shuna was somewhat confused.
“You were just defeated by them, and then…”
Li Wei’qi’s hand was uncharacteristically restless.
She traced a path from Shuna’s nose, stopping just before it, allowing Shuna to catch a faint fragrance from her.
She seemed to be sensing Shuna’s breath.
“Did you die?”
“…No.”
“See? Then the question is, can you kill… Daisianwei?”
“Huh? But, isn’t every dungeon cleared this way…”
Shuna realized something was wrong.
Indeed…
It was a very strange thing.
After the hundredth floor, Death Hall truly stopped having “deaths.”
Even adventurers who entered the dungeon, after being killed, merely entered a state before death and would call for rescue. Association members would then transport them out of Death Hall.
After all, most of the time, it wasn’t a total party wipe, and someone could still call for rescue.
Even if it was a total party wipe, the first person to awaken from death wouldn’t be able to proceed further, ultimately having to signal for rescue.
Then…
According to the clearing methods of other dungeons…
How could one clear a dungeon ruled by an immortal Emperor?
